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Today's prospects are more well-informed than ever, and salespeople need to take this into account when interacting with them, writes Scott Tapp. "There is no doubt that by the time your sales teams interact with them, prospects are far more informed about your business than you are about theirs," Tapp writes.

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The sales funnel has lost its linear progression as well-informed prospects enter at various stages and can freely jump steps, whether they buy in an e-commerce cart or use Twitter to find a deal. Marketers are shifting to different models that place a relationship above a transaction, but there's no one-size-fits-all option. "The new social currency is sharing what's cool in the moment," Twitter Global Brand Marketing Vice President Joel Lunenfeld said.

It's critical to remember at all stages of the sales funnel that the prospects you are dealing with are human beings who should be treated with dignity, writes Emily Salus. "Even if you're selling to buying committees or large institutions, you're dealing with people," she writes. "Treat them with the respect and courtesy they deserve."

In the modern business climate, many companies use subscription-based business models to generate recurring revenue, writes Paula Reinman. This means that "marketing and sales teams must also manage the ongoing relationship with the customer past the traditional end of the sales funnel and in new and different ways," she writes. In particular, it's important to make sure customers stick around through the renewal process.

US Airways, JetBlue, American Airlines and others are issuing travel waivers to passengers affected by the weekend winter storm, allowing them to switch out travel dates without penalizing them. The waivers come as travel to and at airports along the East Coast has become hazardous with heavy snow conditions.

Finish, the application that prioritizes user tasks, is switching to a free download model from its original cost of 99 cents. Developed by teenagers Ryan Orbuch and Michael Hansen, the app will now offer extra features for an optional fee. Finish has seen 50,000 downloads using its paid setup.